Military
MQ-8C Fire Scout
makes first sea-based flight
Michael Peck, Contributing Writer1:26
p.m. EST December 24, 2014
(Photo: Navy )
The MQ-8C Fire Scout UAV has made its first sea-based
flight. It successfully flew from the guided-missile destroyer USS
Jason Dunham on December 16, off the Virginia coast, according to a
Northrop Grumman announcement. An MQ-8C made 22 takeoffs and precision landings
while being controlled by the ship's UAV ground control station.
"The MQ-8C Fire Scout's flights from the USS
Dunham represent a significant Navy milestone," said Capt. Jeff Dodge,
Fire Scout program manager at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). "The
MQ-8C Fire Scout's flights from the USS Dunham represent a significant Navy
milestone. This is the first sea-based flight of the MQ-8C and the first time
an unmanned helicopter has operated from a destroyer."
The smaller MQ-8B Fire Scout has been tested at
increasing levels of difficulty as a ship-based UAV. Earlier the Coast Guard
tested it with take-offs and landings from a national security cutter in
California. See related story.
"These dynamic
interface tests are an essential part in clearing the operational envelope of
the system and are proving the system's ability to operate off any air-capable
ship," said George Vardoulakis, vice president for medium range tactical
systems at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, of the MQ-8C test. "We are
on track to validate all of the critical performance parameters of this Navy
asset and ready the system for deployment and operational use."
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